Sony rejects Dan Loeb's spin off proposal

Sony has rejected Dan Loeb's call to spin off its entertainment business, the company said on Tuesday.

In a letter to Loeb's hedge fund Third Point, the Japanese electronics giant said the board and management team "strongly believe that continuing to own 100 percent of the company's entertainment business is fundamental to Sony's success."

It also rejected the notion that a rights or public offering will boost profitability or shareholder value, and argued that the move " would create the need for otherwise unnecessary and burdensome arm's length intercompany relationships as a result of minority shareholder rights, thereby limiting Sony's control and strategic flexibility."

Since amassing 6.9 percent ownership of Sony through Third Point, Loeb has been increasingly critical of Sony's business, in recent weeks calling its entertainment division "poorly managed."

The billionaire activist has been pushing for a spinoff of Sony's money-making entertainment arm for months now, even as the Japanese firm battles to save its crumbling electronics empire, which has been plagued by stiff competition and lack of innovative products.

Analysts say Sony's rejection of the deal doesn't mean Loeb's going to back down from here.

"I wouldn't call it [the deal] off immediately. There's going to be a lot of back and forth. Loeb is an activist investor that doesn't easily go away," aid King Lip, CIO at Baker Avenue Asset Management on CNBC's "Cash Flow."

Industry watchers have taken side on the issue, which have drawn interest even from Hollywood celebrities.

Earlier this week, outspoken actor George Clooney came to Sony's defense, calling Loeb a "carpet bagger" who "knows nothing about" the film industry, in an interview with Deadline Hollywood.

According to Lip, Sony's CEO Kazuo Hirai, who took helm at the company a year ago, is slowing but surely turning Sony's business around.

Last week, the company said it returned to the black for the first time in three years in the second quarter, logging a net profit of 3.5 billion yen ($35 million) in the April-to-June quarter, compared to a 2.46 billion yen loss in the year ago period.

"I do believe the CEO is a doing a decent job in turning around the business and investors buying today are likely going to get a pretty decent returns going forward," Lip said. "I do think it makes sense for Sony to retain control of its business especially if the CEO is able to execute on his vision," Lip added.

Sony shares closed down nearly 5 percent in Tokyo on the news, but Lip is recommending a buy on the stock.

"I think there's a lot of value in the stock," he said. "Investors buying today are likely going to get a pretty decent returns going forward."